Sandy Kim

Suburban Youth Pop Quiz #4 — Photographer and bad kid anthropologist Sandy Kim on the ghosts, pool halls and candy ravers of her suburban youth.

To celebrate Huck 45, curated by artist, skateboarder and chronicler of teenage California Ed Templeton, we are having a Huck website summer takeover dedicated to Ed’s longtime muse, suburbia.

In this regular series, the Suburban Youth Pop Quiz, we ask characters from our world what their suburban youth meant to them.

Fourth up is photographer and bad kid anthropologist Sandy Kim, whose nudey portfolio captures a life lived in wild abandon.

Suburban Youth Pop Quiz #4

Where did you grow up and can you describe it in three words?
The Pacific Northwest. Suburban, AZN, pride.

Who was your weirdest neighbour?
When I lived in Portland, Oregon, one of my neighbours had an active gwishin (korean ghost). It was the first and last time I have been convinced I saw a supernatural being. The neighbours eventually moved out because of it.

What was the most important record you owned?
Tupac – All Eyez On Me.

Where did the bad kids hang out?
With me. We would skip church and go to the pool hall or the DDR arcade.

Biggest fashion faux pas as a teenager?
Candy raver and emo stage.

Who was your first celebrity crush?
Macaulay Culkin.

Describe your first kiss.
Twelve years old at the church playground.

What happened the first time you got drunk?
I got alcohol poisoning.

What is the naughtiest thing you did as a suburban youth?
Everything I did was naughty. I used to sneak out of my parent’s house in Portland and drive all the way to Seattle to go to huge raves. I also threw notorious house parties when my parents would go out of town and would clean the house until it was  immaculate so they never found out until the Neighbourhood Watch sent a letter complaining.

What was the best party of your teenage years?
Probably a party I threw at my house but I don’t rememeber the details, that’s how I know it was great.

What’s your most embarrassing suburban youth memory?
I sharted while I was in the back seat of my friend’s car as we were crossing a railroad and for years my best friend at the time Carissa would always yell, “Railroad!” anytime we drove past the spot and people would inevitably ask. It became the bane of my teenage existence.

What was the greatest lesson you learnt during that time?
Keep it to yourself when you shart in a car full of people.

Who would you most like to see at a reunion?
My high school art teacher.

What was your first car?
Gumby, it was a used green BMW.

What was your food of choice?
Pizza and mac and cheese, still two of my favourite foods.

What was the biggest fight you ever had with your parents?
I wanted to go hang out with my friends and my mom wouldn’t let me because I was never home and I remember it escalated to the point where she threw a full box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts at me.

What book/film changed your teenage life?
Titanic.

What posters did you have on your bedroom wall?
A K-pop band called h.o.t.

Any hobbies you didn’t give up?
Liquid dancing. I still bust out my old moves at DIIV shows.

What smell reminds you most of the suburbs?
Freshly cut grass.

Huck 45 launches at Arcana Books, LA, this Saturday August 2, 4-6pm.


You might like

Vibrant book covers against bleak, rocky hills and buildings; 'Babylon' and 'Albion' text in bold lettering.
Culture

Dalia Al-Dujaili: “When you’re placeless, nature can fill the void”

Babylon, Albion — As her new book publishes, the British-Iraqi author speaks about connecting with the land as a second-generation migrant, plants as symbols of resistance, and being proud of her parents.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

A collage depicting a giant flup for mankind, with an image of the Earth surrounded by planets and people in sci-fi costumes.
Culture

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind

Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.

Written by: Emma Garland

Three orange book covers with the title "Foreign Fruit" against a dark background.
Culture

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”

Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.

Written by: Angela Hui

A punk rock band performing on stage, with a female lead singer belting into a microphone. Behind them, a colourful mural with graffiti-style text.
Music

Meet the hair-raised radicals of Berlin’s noise punk scene

Powertool — In his new zine, George Nebieridze captures moments of loud rage and quiet intimacy of the German capital’s bands, while exploring the intersections between music, community and anti-establishment politics.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Surfers against sewage protest box floating in water with people swimming around it.
© Alex Brown / Surfers Against Sewage
Sport

The rebellious roots of Cornwall’s surfing scene

100 years of waveriding — Despite past attempts to ban the sport from beaches, surfers have remained as integral, conservationist presences in England’s southwestern tip. A new exhibition in Falmouth traces its long history in the area.

Written by: Ella Glossop

Huck 79

We are all Mia Khalifa

How humour, therapy and community help Huck's latest cover star control her narrative.

Written by: Alya Mooro

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members. It is also made possible by sponsorship from:

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.